


Moving Around

by roo2010



Series: My Life with Tom [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe RPF, The Night Manager (TV) RPF, Tom Hiddleston - Fandom
Genre: Actor Tom Hiddleston, Established Relationship, F/M, Tom Hiddleston -AU, Tom Hiddleston Is A Sweetheart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-18
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:02:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22303063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roo2010/pseuds/roo2010
Relationships: Tom Hiddleston/Original Female Character(s)
Series: My Life with Tom [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/237423
Comments: 12
Kudos: 7





	1. Prom Night pt 1

The late Spring/ early Summer of 2015 actually flew by. Tom was away a lot filming The Night Manager and I was focussed on supporting Lizzie through her big exams. My cross stitch sampler had been well received by the lady who had commissioned it and she’d promised to spread the word as to my abilities and I was hopeful that it could become an interesting income stream for me as I really didn’t want to rely on Tom’s money for the rest of my life. Tom and I also managed a lovely couple of days in Devon, actually staying one night in the holiday rental that was posing as Jonathan’s abode whilst he was establishing his villainous credentials. The rest of his time was spent between Mallorca and Marrakech, not many still pictures were smuggled from the set, apart from the photos Tom sent me nearly every day! I was really looking forward to having him home at the end of June, we’d worked out that he would be home before Lizzie’s Prom and he’d promised her he’d take her in the Jag, stating that it may not be the most unusual form of transport there but she would have the most famous chauffeur by far! He’d blushed when I’d added, not so quietly “And the most handsome.” I was so pleased he’d be home for Lizzie’s big evening. Proms were still a relatively new thing in England, yet another thing imported from America; we’d certainly not had one when I left school. They had however already turned into quite a big deal with all the Proms getting a spot in the local paper and Lizzie and I had had great fun picking out her dress. She didn’t have anyone to go with but wasn’t worried about that at all and of course as the Jag was only a two seater there wouldn’t have been room for anyone else anyway!

The evening of the Prom was warm and sunny but in deference to Lizzie’s hairstyle Tom had the hood up on the car for the moment. Never one to do things by half he was wearing a dark grey suit and had obviously borrowed Jeff’s rarely worn peaked cap in the same colour to complete the effect. He looked absolutely gorgeous as always and I knew he’d fulfil his pledge to Lizzie to perfection. He bought her and elegant orchid corsage to go with her dress and as I helped her put it on her wrist I am sure I was one of the proudest mothers in the world. She looked beautiful and so grown up all of a sudden that I had to remind myself that she wasn’t (quite) sixteen yet being as she was one of the youngest in her class.

Tom had the whole chauffeur thing down pat of course but then it really wasn’t any different to how he treated me every time we were in the car together anyway. Lizzie wasn’t quite so used to the attention though and throughout the whole process of getting her, and her large skirt in the Jag she had a shy smile on her face as if she really couldn’t believe what was happening.

I took a couple of photos of pair of them for posterity and our personal album only and then they were off. I honestly wondered if Tom would get away with it. The age range represented the prime Marvel demographic and I knew that the chances of him remaining un recognised were slim but on the other hand it was something he was willing to do for his new stepdaughter and act like any other father would, ensuring his ‘lil Jotunn’ as he still called her from time to time had the best memories possible from this occasion. The event wasn’t due to finish until midnight so it would be a late night for all of us as Tom would still be on taxi duty and there was no way I was going to bed until I’d had at least the salient points from Lizzie!

Lizzie’s POV

The Jag was wonderful, I’d not had many chances to ride in it yet as when the three of us went anywhere we took Mum’s car and Tom and I didn’t go many places together. He was a good driver and it wasn’t too long before we were a few minutes away from the venue.

“Do you want me to put the top down?” Tom asked “I promise I’ll drive carefully so your hair doesn’t ruin.”

“Can we really?” I asked excitedly.

“Of course we can.” Tom reassured “just let me find a convenient place to pull in.”

The Jag was so swish that there was no need to get out of the car, just stop the engine and press a button on the dashboard. A faint whirr of machinery and the whole top of the car folded itself away into a compartment at the rear. Tom pulled his peaked cap down firmly on his head as he looked over at me. “Ready?” he asked with his trademark grin.

“You bet!” I enthused and after checking for traffic Tom pulled back out onto the road.

It was so exhilarating to drive along with no roof, I’d never done it before and I couldn’t resist putting my arms in the air for just a short while and I whooped with joy, as Tom laughed at my antics. I had calmed down a bit before we actually turned into the long driveway that led to the Prom venue and was amazed at the multitude of vehicles pulled up outside, from vintage coaches to a very shiny tractor that had obviously been cleaned specially for the occasion. There were also quite a few sports cars of course, most with the top down but nothing really stood out. Tom found a place to park, quite close to the main entrance and checked to see if I was ready to get out. I swallowed a little; suddenly nervous as I always get when it was something to do with school and crowds. Tom noticed my hesitance and, out of sight of anyone casually looking in our direction, took my hand and rubbed his thumb over the back of it, just like I’d seen him do with Mum.

“OK?” he said softly

I mentally girded my loins and said “Yes. Thanks” I could see Abbie in a beautiful long gown and really wanted to go and compare notes, which did mean I’d have to get out of the car.

“Right.” Said Tom, adjusting his cap to pull the peak a little lower, hoping not to be recognised I supposed. He got out of the car and walked around to open the door and help me out just like he does all the time with Mum. I steadied myself on my new high heels and straightened up as Tom, still with a gentle hand on my back led me to the front of the car.

Suddenly one of the nearby boys said, rather loudly, “Is that the guy that plays Loki?” Of course that caused lots of heads to turn our way.

“Nah!” someone else said “What would he be doing here of all places?”

More voices joined in, overlapping each other.

“I don’t know” a girl this time “that does look awfully like Tom Hiddleston.”

“Why would he be with Lizzie Moore though?”

“I’m sure it’s him!”

“It can’t be, must be a look alike!”

A girl scoffed then “No one looks like Tom, he’s gorgeous!”

I felt Tom’s hand moved on my back at her comment, whether in amusement or protection I wasn’t sure. The crowd around us was growing fast as more people came to see what the commotion was about, including some teachers.

“It _is_ him!” someone finally declared “Loki’s here!”

The noise level rose at their words and Tom decided enough was enough. With his free hand he removed his peaked cap revealing himself to the crowd. There was a collective intake of breath and then the shouting started, all of them, boys and girls clamouring for Tom’s attention. It was funny watching the girls rummage in tiny handbags for scraps of paper and pens for his autograph and the forest of hands with phones attached that sprang up was amazing. This was the first time I’d experienced this sort of thing. We’d been keeping me out of the public glare as much as possible before my exams which I was pleased about. For my part I’d only told my closest friends about Mum and Tom as who my mum dated really wasn’t anybody else’s business, and my friends obviously hadn’t spread the gossip judging by the surprise shown on most faces. I couldn’t believe Mum did this voluntarily, more than once too! It was exciting but a little overwhelming. I also knew I’d be the talk of the school tomorrow but I was sure I’d be able to survive that until we left for London when my results came out. My form tutor stepped in then to escort Tom and I to the venue which was easier said than done with the crowd of kids around us. It took a couple more teachers to get the crowd to settle whilst we walked away towards the relative safety of the main building.

My tutor, Mr Bass, started a conversation as we walked “It’s a pleasure to meet you finally Mr Hiddleston, Lizzie only has good things to say about you.”

“Good to know.” Tom replied, smiling fondly down at me. “It’s a pleasure to meet you too Mr Bass and I’d like to thank you for all you’ve done for Lizzie whilst she’s been at your school.”

“Not a problem.” responded Mr Bass “she’s a good student and a pleasure to teach, I happen to be her music teacher too you know?”

“I didn’t realise that.” he answered “She’s a really good musician too.”

“That’s nothing to do with me, that’s all natural talent” Mr Bass said.

I was beginning to blush at their side as they spoke; the ever attentive Tom noticed and squeezed my hand gently.

“How do you want to handle this?” Mr Bass continued “I mean the crowd of students outside of course.”

“I’m not sure” Tom admitted “I mean I wasn’t expecting to cause such a reaction to be honest, and my wife will be expecting me home soon. I would be more than happy to do something for Prize Giving if you do such a thing? But for now I think if I could slip away quietly that would be for the best, if it’s at all possible” he added wryly.

“I’m sure we can arrange something.” Mr Bass said quickly “Tell you what,” he continued opening an office door nearby. “If you two wait in here, we’ll get the kids into the main room and then you can slip out quietly.”

“Sounds good.” Replied Tom. “Is that Ok with you Lizzie?”

I was honestly surprised he was asking me, I was happy for the grown-ups to sort it out between themselves, not really sure what I could add to the chat going on around me. “Sure Tom, that’s fine” I said and then I was struck with an idea “How about I go in the room with my class mates? It might distract them enough for you to go without being seen.” I added.

“That could work” Tom mused “Would you be Ok with doing that?”

“I shrugged “I suggested it didn’t I? I have to put up with the whole school from tomorrow anyway, might as well start as I mean to go on.”

Tom pulled me into a Hiddles Hug “Thanks Lizzie, I really appreciate this. If you don’t mind though I think I’ll send your mum to pick you up. She’ll want to hear all about your evening and I’m sure she’ll understand.”

“I _know_ she will” I assured my new step dad, returning his hug. “Thanks for bringing me though, definitely the talking point of the Prom.”

He gave a small smile “That wasn’t really the point though, was it? It’s meant to be your night not mine.”

“Are you joking?” I scoffed “I’ll be the most popular girl in school now until I leave now!”

We could hear the crowd streaming past the door, giving Tom one last quick hug I slipped out at the back of the stream and followed them into the big hall, ready to do whatever I could to distract them from the superstar in their vicinity. I made my way to a spot where I could see the office door and stood with my back to a wall so that anyone who wanted to talk to me would have their back to Tom’s escape route.

My idea worked like a dream, I watched a Tom slipped from the office and back to the Jag with no one but me and Mr Bass being any the wiser. I was surrounded all night by people asking questions but apart from confirming that Tom was indeed my step dad now and that I wasn’t changing my last name I didn’t say anything else. Anyone whom I was friendly with to know my address had already met Tom and I knew the school wouldn’t give out personal information willy-nilly, especially as word got round the teachers. In fact I could see Mr Bass deep in conversation with the Head as I spoke to the next lot of hopefuls.

I did have a lot more dance invitations than I’d originally expected though, mainly from boys who hadn’t looked twice at me before and now seemed determined to be a friend to me, if not more! I was going to have so much fun in the next four weeks, none of them were going to get anywhere, what with me moving away before the Summer Holidays were over but I was willing to string them along, just for fun. I did think it did think it was the only way I’d keep sane during that time. I knew there would be a lot of disappointed faces at the end of the night when my chauffeur didn’t show, but I really didn’t think that Tom needn’t subject himself to that again.


	2. Prom Pt 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fall out from Tom's chauffeuring ;-)

Jackie’s POV

I was beginning to get a little worried. I was sitting, waiting for Tom to return and he was taking longer than I thought he would. The venue was a little way a ways, out towards Bath actually but we’d travelled the road enough for him not to get lost and I was wondering what was keeping him. I was just about to phone him when I heard his key in the lock and got up to welcome him home. The poor dear looked completely frazzled as I gave him a kiss and I couldn’t help but worry again even though he was home safe. Deciding he could probably do with a cup of tea I went to put the kettle on. When I got back to the living room I was surprised to see Tom had removed his jacket, waistcoat and tie. The jacket I could understand, the rest not so much.

“I thought you were going out again to pick Lizzie up?” I questioned.

He looked up at me and I really took in his appearance. His hair was completely tousled, like he had run his hands through it far too often. His expression was totally apologetic but also wary, like I might not like whatever he was going to tell me.

“There’s been a change of plan” he started slowly “would you mind awfully going and getting her. If I go we may never get away again!”

I suddenly realised what had happen “Somebody worked out who you are, didn’t they? I stated

“Several somebodies actually!” Tom said with an apologetic huff.

I moved to sit next to him on the sofa “How bad was it?”

“Pretty bad.” Tom admitted. “I had to hide in an office so that the party could go on. I also might have talked myself into doing a speech for Prize Giving.” He added with a grimace. “But worst of all, all Lizzie’s peers now know she’s my step-daughter, at least, if they don’t by now they will by this time tomorrow. I’m so sorry Darling; I know this isn’t how you wanted it to happen.”

I sighed “It’s fine Tom, it was going to happen sooner or later, at least her exams are out of the way. How did she take it?”

That got a small laugh from my beloved. “She was worried about me!” he explained “And then volunteered to go into the hall on her own to draw attention away from whatever I might be doing. She’s amazing!”

“Circumstances have made her very resilient and worldly wise.” I said sadly “Strange how things work out sometimes.”

“It is indeed.” Tom agreed.

“You’d better let Luke know.” I said suddenly “He thinks Lizzie’s introduction would be a slower, stage managed thing, not ‘outing’ at her leaving Prom, I bet there will be dozens of photos of both of you online by tomorrow and as she’s still a minor I don’t know if that will be a problem?”

“On it.” Tom said immediately, already reaching for his phone. As soon as Luke had answered and they had exchanged pleasantries Tom said “I’m putting you on speaker Luke, Jackie’s here and she needs to hear this too.”

Luke was instantly in professional mode “What’s happened Tom? What have you done now?”

Tom couldn’t even look affronted, he knew this was his problem to solve and I knew he would do it to the best of his ability. He quickly explained to Luke what had happened, including Lizzie being a distraction for him to be able to slip away. Luke let him finish without interruption and then sighed heavily.

“Well that was definitely ‘not’ how that was meant to go Tom. I understand that you just wanted to do this for Lizzie but I just wish sometimes you’d think of the consequences. I have a feeling Lizzie is going to have a very long four weeks in front of her. What do you think Jackie?”

“I think you’re right Luke. I also think that Lizzie will make the absolute best of it any way she can. You must admit that if most of the school is only finding out today and tomorrow she’s done a pretty good job of keeping it quiet?”

“That she has.” Luke agreed, with Tom nodding vigorously next to me.

“So what are we going to do Luke?” Tom asked.

“Luckily for you Tom I try and think ahead so I’ve got something pretty much prepared in case it’s needed. It just requires the details tweaking now I know how it’s happened. I assume you won’t be going to pick her up tonight?”

“You assume correctly” said Tom “She won’t be home until late though and has school tomorrow so it will be the afternoon I suppose before we know of any fall out. We can contact you again when we know more?”

“That would be the best idea.” Luke said tiredly “I’ll keep an eye on the social media outlets until then and if it all gets too much on there I’ll release the tweaked press release. I’ll send you a copy first of course.”

“Thanks Luke, I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Tom said sincerely and I added my thanks too.

I got the distinct impression that this wasn’t the first time Luke had had to do this sort of thing for Tom but I did hold out hope that those occurrences might become less frequent as Tom adjusted to having more people to think about in his little family and I resolved to help him in that in the nicest way possible. We spent some time coming up with contingency plans for ourselves. I was really pleased though that Tom was determined to get his right even though she wasn’t his by blood or even adoption.

It was soon time for me to go and get my lovely daughter which, of course, now had a whole new dimension added as most of the children in Lizzie’s class if not year, knew me by sight. I was sure to be inundated with questions from interested parties, there seemed to be no way around it, either Tom or I would get the brunt of the questions tonight and poor Lizzie would cop the lot tomorrow. I did contemplate parking my car at the back of the queue and texting Lizzie to come and find me but then realised that she would probably, and totally unwittingly, bring a trail of followers with her. No, the only way to deal with this was head on. I had nothing to hide, I wasn’t going to leak any details of forthcoming projects that I might know about, I just hoped some of the children would respect my privacy but I doubted it, this was the biggest news to happen at the school for ages. Thank goodness it was nearly the end of term!

I got my coat and bag, checking that I had both phones before saying goodbye to Tom who said he’d stay up until we got home. I arrived at the venue just as everyone was leaving the building. I could see Lizzie and Abbie in their gorgeous dresses and noted that they did indeed seem to be bringing a crowd with them like a comet’s tail but also a couple of teachers so I hoped that was a good thing. It was Mr Bass, Lizzie’s form tutor and music teacher that reached me first.

“Good evening Mrs Moore, oh I suppose it’s Mrs Hiddleston now” he corrected himself.

“Good evening Mr Bass, I hope there hasn’t been too much trouble?” I replied politely, really hoping what I’d said was true. I would have felt ever so guilty if Tom’s appearance had ruined the evening for anyone.

“Everything was fine.” Reassured Lizzie’s favourite teacher “but it might be an idea for you and Mr. Hiddleston to meet with the Head one day this week, whilst all the children are in class of course.”

“Of course” I replied “we are around all week, so any when would be good.” Just then Lizzie, Abbie and their temporary entourage turned up and I smiled inwardly at the disappointed faces around me as they realised I hadn’t brought my husband with me. It didn’t stop a couple of girls asking questions though but thankfully there wasn’t much I could tell them apart from The Night Manager was in post-production as was I Saw the Light. I was careful to stick to information easily gleaned from IMDb though and to the young lads who had specifically asked about Loki, I had no answer. I knew Tom had a five movie deal with Marvel and at this point he’d only done three but as to what the next Loki project was he was being particularly tight lipped, if he even knew at this point. Realising I wasn’t a mine of potential information the majority of the crowd soon melted away to find their transportation home. It was easy to see how rumours could spread, these kids would undoubtedly tell their parents and any siblings that they’d seen Tom at the Prom, those people may tell others and before you could say ‘Loki’ it would be half way round town.

After complimenting Abbie on her gown and making sure she had some means of getting home Lizzie and I walked to my car to begin the journey home.

“So, how was it?” I asked as soon as we were on the main carriage way.

“It was really good Mum.” Lizzie said happily “I’m going to have so much fun in the next four weeks!”

“Oh? How come?” I queried.

“Well” said Lizzie settling into her seat properly “let’s see now, no real lessons now that the exams are over even though I still have to attend school so plenty of time for all those people who have never looked twice at me and have suddenly found me the most interesting person in the world to try and become friends with me in the hope of getting close to Tom!”

I glanced across at her and the look on her face was one I hadn’t seen too often before but I could easily read – pure mischief. I knew she’d protected Tom and my privacy zealously during our courtship so I was aware that she wasn’t suddenly going to change her stance on that but a few red herrings thrown carelessly away she would have no problem with.

“Just be careful.” I cautioned “Bad publicity will be more damaging for us all than no publicity would be for Tom. You don’t want to get a bad reputation before you’ve even started, assuming you still want to go down the music route?”

Lizzie rolled her eyes “I’ll be careful Mum, I have been so far.”

“I know,” I soothed “and Tom and I are extremely grateful to you for keeping things close to your chest. Just don’t blow it now OK?”

She sighed as only a daughter can. “I _will_ be careful Mum, and I’ll run anything I’m going to suggest by Tom first if it makes you happier?”

I thought back to the joint conversation with Luke earlier that evening and how Luke had wished Tom thought things through a little more before he acted but I couldn’t deny that my wonderful husband would have a much better idea of what to say than I would.

“It would make me happier.” I agreed. “I’m just worried, this early in things that we don’t want to ruin anything for him.”

“You worry too much sometimes Mum.” Chided Lizzie.

I shrugged “I’m a mother, it’s what we do and now I have two of you to worry about again, I’m so happy though.”

“I know you are.” She responded “and I’m happy too, though this isn’t the life I envisioned eighteen months ago.”

“Me neither.” I giggled “Just goes to show you never know what may be around the corner!”

We’d pulled up outside the cottage by now and I hopped out of the car quickly to be able to open the car door for my darling daughter as a good chauffeur should. Lizzie stepped out of the car with more aplomb than I normally managed and we walked to the front door of the cottage together. I was a little surprised when Tom opened the door for us.

“I heard the tyres on the gravel.” He explained “and I knew it could only be you.” He finished by giving me a quick kiss before he turned with all seriousness to Lizzie.

“How bad was it?” he enquired

“Actually, a lot of fun.” Lizzie said, surprising him. “I got loads of dance requests; drinks bought for me and had somebody to speak to all night. None of them are going to get anywhere mind you but I had a blast!”

“I’m really glad it went well for you Lizzie.” Tom said sincerely “I’m sure it won’t be plain sailing for you over the next couple of weeks but your mum and I are always here with a listening ear, and if you think you need a more professional approach Luke is already mostly aware of what has happened tonight and I know he will be happy to help anyway he can. He’ll probably insist on it! I did tell him that it would probably not be until after school tomorrow before we have a better idea of the repercussions. I will also promise you that he won’t bite!”

Lizzie smiled at us both “Thank you guys.” She said warmly “I was a little worried about school but Mr. Bass has already offered me a key to the music room if it all gets too much whilst I still have to attend school.”

“That’s very good of him.” I said. “That reminds me Love” I continued “Mr. Bass thinks it would be a good idea if we meet with the Head sooner rather than later this week to discuss how we deal with this. I can give the school a ring tomorrow to set it up, is there any day you can’t do?”

“Not this week, no.” Tom answered. “You remember I’m going to London a couple of days in the middle of next week for meetings and such like?”

I giggled, I knew he was meeting Luke and Malcom, his agent, but I also knew what the ‘such like’ was. He’d been gifted tickets to the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament and asking him to give up a chance to see his beloved tennis would never go well.

“Yes Love, I remember. You’re back Thursday afternoon or evening, correct?”

“Ideally” replied Tom “depending on the traffic of course.”

“That’s fine Love, just making sure it was set in my head.”

Lizzie yawned discretely at that point but not so subtly that I didn’t notice. “Come on young lady, bed for you, you do have school tomorrow even if you don’t have any lessons. Do you need help with your dress?”

“No thanks Mum. I’ve got it.” Lizzie said as she headed towards the stairs.

“OK then, I don’t suppose we will be too far behind you.” I said glancing over at Tom who was looking a little jaded himself and indeed it wasn’t long before we followed Lizzie to bed.

The meeting at the school went very well the next week, The Head and Mr Bass were very supportive and understanding of the situation and, as promised, Lizzie already had a key to the music room to hide in if it all became too much. She herself had her predicted ‘blast’ Nearly every day she came home with stories of this person or that person, who had never given her the time of day beforehand, trying to inveigle their way into her good graces by offering gifts in some instances or, more hilariously for her trying to prove what big Tom fans they were by telling her what he was up to, thinking that if they proved they already knew then Lizzie would be more likely to give them even more info. What these ‘fake friends’ or FF’s as they quickly became known as didn’t know was that every titbit of gossip they told Lizzie to prove their credentials had been sown by Lizzie herself after a long conversation with Tom that involved lots of giggling on ‘My Pairs’ part. It was actually a great bonding experience for them and Tom started to look forward eagerly to her coming back from school just so they could compare notes. It did make the four weeks fly by and almost before we knew where we were school had broken up and Lizzie had bade farewell to those friends she wouldn’t see for a long time. Her closest friend Abbie, of course, was an exception to that rule and in actuality spent an awful lot of time with us at the cottage sequestered with Lizzie in her bedroom getting up to goodness knows what but I did hope it included some planning for September.


	3. Sweet Sixteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lizzie celebrates a minor milestone birthday with her friends and family

Before ‘Results Day’ came Lizzie’s birthday. We decided as this birthday was potentially the last one in Wiltshire for a while and it being her sixteenth we’d throw her a party. We booked the Village Hall, hired a caterer, and our favourite DJ and we were practically set. The only slight problem was the guest list; Lizzie really wanted Hems and his family there but actually decided that it wouldn’t be fair to Hems to have to put up with all the fans that would probably bombard him with questions. I was pleased with Lizzie’s maturity and so Tom and I organised a surprise meal in London with the Hemsworth’s the weekend after her birthday.

The party went swimmingly, everyone had a good time and by sticking close to Tom all night (which was no real hardship of course) I managed to deter people from hounding him for the entirety of the party, apparently my presence was enough, I didn’t even have to say anything. The party did mark the end of the original Thorne and The Roses though. Leah and Shannon had decided that a career in music wasn’t for them so had opted to stay in Wiltshire for their further education whilst Lizzie and Abbie were London bound, results willing, so we knew getting together regularly enough would be nigh on impossible. It was a shame but there was no point staying together if they couldn’t rehearse. They didn’t play as such but did sing a couple of song a Capella which were very well received.

There was so much hugging at the end of the party I thought they were giving Tom a run for his money but we were all aware that for some of the guests this was more of a farewell than a birthday party, especially this part of it. Unusually for England in summer it was a warm and dry night so we elected to walk back to the cottage, taking the opportunity to enjoy the peace of the village. We would be back at least once a month though; I couldn’t bear to stay away for too long after all.

The following weekend saw Tom and I being as surreptitious as possible, Lizzie had no idea that we had booked out an entire restaurant for her second birthday celebration as we had realised that the guest list needed to expand somewhat to include Tom’s family who couldn’t make it to Wiltshire in the end, and Ben, Sophie and their new son Christopher who was just over two months old and completely adorable, and the original reason for the second party, the Hemsworth contingent. We had told her we were going out for a private celebration though, playing it off as just Tom and I wanting time to ourselves with her. We had arranged for all her other guests to get to the restaurant first so that she would get a brilliant welcome.

It worked a treat! We were met at the door by the manager and once he’d introduced himself led us to where the rest were waiting quietly; even India had been persuaded to keep quiet so as not to spoil the surprise. Lizzie, as the honoured guest went first with Tom and I following behind. We had asked Emma in advance to make sure she got a picture of Lizzie’s face as we would only see the back of her head! If Lizzie noticed the lack of other patrons she didn’t comment and as she rounded the corner to the room we’d appropriated, the shock of seeing her friends and new family, and hearing their rousing ‘Happy Birthday’ was evident in her posture which stiffened and then relaxed completely. She turned to Tom and I, her gratitude showing clearly and gave us both a big hug.

“Thank you both so much” she gushed “This is such a lovely surprise!”

“Mission accomplished!” Tom whispered to me as we entered the room to make our own greetings, once Lizzie had finished with every body of course.

“Indeed!” I responded.

India, predictably, rushed to Lizzie’s side as soon as she was able, and started chattering happily about all the things she’d done since they’d seen each other last, whilst Tom and I said hello to Hems, Elsa Tristan and Sacha. The twins had grown considerably in the nearly six months since our wedding and were now at the stage of walking known as ‘cruising’. Putting them on the floor now resulted in them pulling themselves to their feet using the nearest available object be it human or furniture and then setting off around the room swapping grip to the next object with ease, and lots of giggles. It took some time to coral the boys and put them in high chairs supplied by the restaurant but then we were all set. We had free rein of the menu to ensure that there was plenty of choice for all; though it did make the ordering process a little long winded but the waiting staff were very competent and efficient. It didn’t take long for the first starters to come from the kitchen and soon we were all tucking in to delicious platefuls. Lizzie was asked lots of questions about what she was going to do after getting her results the following week and she gave them all the same answer. She seemed determined to make music her career and would focus on that, whilst making sure she had good qualifications to fall back on should they be necessary. The plates were cleared and there was a small pause whilst the main dishes were readied and then served to us. Lizzie first as the guest of honour, causing her to blush slightly. The main meals were as delicious as the starters and we all settled down to eat happily.

Conversation turned, as it inevitably would amongst actors to future projects. This was always good fun to sit back and observe as Tom, Hems and Ben attempted to answer questions without giving anything away, subject to their contracts. As I’d expected I didn’t learn anything new apart from some small mention from Hems about the next film for my favourite Norse brothers but it was so fleeting all I grasped was that there were talks in progress. I reflected that it was a good job I was a patient person, and that Tom trusted me with his most precious secrets or else I had a feeling that I would be finding important things out just before his many fans. All in all though it was a wonderful night and a brilliant surprise for my darling daughter.


	4. Results Revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lizzie and Abbie get their exam results, and changes are made

It was a very apprehensive little group of Abbie’s parents, Tom and I that could be found outside of the school grounds in a quiet spot waiting for Abbie and Lizzie to appear and open their envelopes. They had both done really well, easily achieving the grades needed to get into BIMM and Tom insisted on taking us all for lunch at our favourite village pub. We were so proud of the girls, we knew they’d worked really hard because they’d managed good grades in subjects they found harder than the ones that came naturally to them. Lunch was a very happy affair, Lizzie and Abbie were understandably excited at still being able to go to lessons together and though you could tell that Abbie and her parents were worried about their forthcoming separation they seemed mollified when Tom effortlessly suggested that if Abbie ever felt lonely in her student rooms all she had to do was give Tom or I a ring and we would go and collect her to bring her to us for the evening or two if needed. I had a feeling we’d see her at least once a week and of course we offered to bring Abbie with us, if she wanted anytime we came back to Wiltshire for the weekend, basically a reversal of what we’d been doing for the past six months.

Finally the families separated to go and calm down somewhat, though I suspected that would be a tall order. It was a strange day of mixed emotions for me though, on the one hand I was obviously over the moon for Lizzie, she could now go and pursue the career she wanted and would no doubt excel at but also it meant the end of me living full time in the village I’d grown up in. I was determined that I would keep the cottage though and Tom was happy to do that, understanding the need for a bolt hole for both of us if city life, or the pressure of his fame got too much. To that end of course packing up was an interesting experience as most of the stuff would be staying put. I did take some sentimental items with me, plus all my stitching supplies and I’d even persuaded Tom to make some room in his burgeoning bookshelves so that my favourite titles could come with me too. Lizzie was a different proposition though, there was so much that she wanted to take that it was really hard to pare it down. Thank goodness we had two cars to transport everything, even if the Jag didn’t have a huge capacity, and my car was quite small, it would work fine if Lizzie went with Tom and we filled my car to the gunwales. Of course where it would all go in her room in London was another matter and I could see some more storage solutions being necessary very soon.

Finally we were ready to go; it felt very strange to be leaving like this but I knew that Tom really needed to be in London for his career, Lizzie would also benefit from the excellent opportunities afforded to her by attending BIMM and me? Well, as long as ‘My Pair’ were happy then I was too. I was even contemplating getting a part time job, I hadn’t worked since I got engaged and it had been fine but I didn’t want to live off Tom forever, it didn’t seem fair and didn’t set a very good example for Lizzie really, also she was going to be out all day and Tom looked like he’d be away a lot towards the end of the year I had to have a reason to get out of the apartment or else I might go a little ‘stir crazy’.

The journey to London was accomplished without incident which I was always grateful for, delays on the motorways were frequent and annoying. I had no idea of the surprises waiting for me in my new home but they started as soon as we pulled into the parking area reserved for Tom’s block. Tom parked in his spot, the one allocated to his apartment and got out of the Jag quickly to direct me to park next to him. As I manoeuvred my little car I spotted a second sign with Tom’s apartment number on it. I had my own parking space! It may not sound like a great deal but having your own parking space in London is akin to finding a hen’s tooth!

Tom seemed pleased with how his surprise had gone over as well he should be. I normally parked on the road and hoped my car would be safe so this was a major step up. It took quite a few trips to get everything up to our new home but after the first trip I was basically in a daze. Not only had Tom kept his promise to carry me over the threshold, in front of a giggling Lizzie no less but then there were the changes I saw in front of me. I hadn’t been to London for a couple of weeks at this point; there had been no need so the changes to the apartment were all the more apparent. There had been a complete rearrangement of the furniture in the living space to facilitate the addition of a standard lamp and am armchair that looked to have exactly the same dimensions as the one I’d left behind in the cottage. There was even a brand new free standing needlework box to one side for easy access.

I stood there looking stunned at the new furniture “What’s all this for?” I managed to get out.

Tom and Lizzie just stood there with identical huge grins on their faces, telling me immediately that Lizzie had been in on the plans.

“Consider it a housewarming gift.” Said Tom warmly.

“Housewarming?” I echoed “We’ve practically been married for six months!”

“That’s true” Tom agreed “and although we’ve been living together for ages, this is your first day officially moving in as my wife and I decided I needed to mark the occasion. Your chair in the cottage is too big to get here so I got you another one so you can sit and sew to your hearts content. I know how much you love your cross stitch and so this seemed the perfect thing to buy you. Come on, you need to try it out.”

He crossed the short distance between us as Lizzie was quick to join him. They gently grabbed one of my hands each and led me to the chair. I gave in gracefully and sat in it as I would to sew. Tom had, unsurprisingly, done his homework well; the arms would be the perfect height to rest my large frame on and I could see now that the standard lamp had been fitted with a specialist daylight bulb to aid colour choice and illuminate everything clearly. I stood again and pulled ‘My Pair’ into a big hug.

“Thank you so much Love, it’s so thoughtful of you.”

“It’s really nothing Darling. I just want you to be able to call London home as much as Wiltshire and this seemed a good start.”

“It’s a great start” I said happily “If I didn’t have to help lug everything we brought with us in and sort it all out I’d be sitting there still!”

As I looked at the arrangement again I saw Tom had really made the best of the available configuration. He would still be able to sit in his favourite spot on the sofa and I would be next to him, ensuring we both still had a good view of the wall mounted television. One of the backless sections of the sofa had been moved to make room for my chair, Lizzie explaining that it had ended up in her room where it would be a useful addition. I wasn’t sure if it would still work well for her when she started at BIMM, but that was a problem for another day.

My words about all the luggage galvanised us into action and it wasn’t long before everything brought with us was, at least, in the room it was destined to remain in. Then, of course, came the task of actually putting it all away. My predictions about Lizzie needing more storage came true remarkably quickly and we had to make a quick trip to a furniture shop to buy some drawers and cupboards. They were flat pack which worried Tom but didn’t faze Lizzie and I; we just made sure we picked up a good small tool kit too. When we got back to ours we completely confounded Tom by having the drawer set and low cupboards assembled and filled within a couple of hours. Lizzie and I were both pretty good at D.I.Y, living without a man will do that for you, you learn very quickly or do without! It helped that we were both quite practically minded so the instructions were not as perplexing as I had heard some people complaining about. Tom was still staring at our handiwork in wonderment as I squeezed past him to carry on sorting things out.

“I had no idea you were that good with tools.” Tom admitted.

I gave him a gentle shove as I walked past “Nine years without a husband and two years without a man around tends to make one quite self-sufficient when it comes to the simple things, I can wire plugs, put up shelves and do basic maintenance but anything else is tradesman only. I can also change they wheel on a car!” I said quietly

“You can do an appreciable amount more than me.” Tom riposted “I can just about manage to change a fuse.”

“Well, you have me now.” I said with a smile “Anything I can do, I will.”

All the to-ing and fro-ing had made us miss lunch so I popped out to a local supermarket to get some supplies now that we had room in the cars. I purposefully avoided the nearest shop as I hadn’t forgotten the frosty reception I’d gotten from one particular staff member when she’d realised I was with Tom. It was slightly petty I know but they lost my custom that day. I knew that as the new Mrs. Hiddleston I would be subjected to negative comments and even perhaps hatred directed towards me but I didn’t see why I should actively seek it out. Luckily for my sensibilities this area of London was well served by large supermarkets so it was no real hardship to change, in fact it worked quite well because the next nearest store was actually the same as the one I frequented most in Wiltshire so I was very familiar with their product range.

On arriving home I filled the fridge and larder with my purchases and made a start on our main meal of the day. It was a lovely summer’s evening so salad seemed a sensible option. I’d always tried to eat healthily but living with Tom had taken it to a whole new level, changing my eating habits completely and all to my betterment. I felt better in myself than I had since Mum and Dad had passed away, though I’m sure some of it to be psychological as I was happier than I’d been for a couple of years too. Luckily with Tom being quite diet conscious most of the time he was able to see the changes in me and we made sure I stayed at a sensible weight, even when he was trying to lose weight for a role.

It didn’t take long for Lizzie and I to feel completely at home in London, I made sure to stay in contact with my friends in Wiltshire and slowly, very slowly considering who my husband was, started making friends of my own in London. Although I’d officially changed my surname when I’d married Tom I still introduced myself as my previous surname (Sean’s) because , much like Tom, I wanted people to like me for me not because of who my husband was. I decided that eventually, if they became close enough friends they would find out the truth of course but until then, caution was my watch word.


End file.
